Fleece-lined Colorado Chaps do a great job keeping you warm
Parking the bike over the winter is not an option for me, so keeping warm riding is a necessity. I've discussed heated gear previously; now the topic is fleece-lined chaps.
Let's clarify right off that we're not talking fleece off a sheep, we're talking that Polartec-type of "fleece" material. The chaps I have were made by Lorna Reed, of Colorado Chaps, who offered to give me a pair in return for a review--good, bad, or indifferent. I accepted.
That was a year ago so I've had time to really use them and, as Lorna was confident would be the case, I really like them. On a cold day a little before Christmas I spent several hours outside with my local ABATE chapter unloading a truckload of items to be distributed to needy families. My toes got cold, other parts of me got cold, but my legs were toasty warm. That includes on the bike going over there, standing around, and riding home.
I also put them to a serious test awhile back. On a very cold day I took three rides: one without any chaps, one with my leather chaps, and one with the Colorado Chaps.
The no-chaps ride was darn cold, and I cut it short because I didn't need any further assurance that it was a cold day to ride. Both pair of chaps kept me warmer than no chaps, but time was the real difference. The longer I rode with the leather chaps, the less warm they kept me. After awhile the leather got chilled itself and in places where it pressed snugly against me I could feel its cold coming through my jeans. That just didn't happen with the Colorado Chaps.
The Colorado Chaps are made of heavy-duty Cordura nylon, and while they may not offer as much protection as leather in a get-off, they are rugged and would help a lot.
They're also affordable. For Cordura like mine, the cost is $75, plus $35 for the fleece lining. If you prefer Kevlar to Cordura you can do that for $25 mores. And if you ride a bike where there's a chance you'll touch the chaps up against hot pipes, Lorna will stitch on a "pipe patch" to protect them. All her chaps are custom made to fit you and your needs.
This is a product I've tried and am happy to recommend.
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Comments
Yes sir, leather gets very cold if you're in the wind long enough. I may have to invest in a set of these.
Sounds comfy warm! Thanks for the review.
I'll be in the market for a new set of chaps next year, and just might turn in my leathers for these.
Are they too plump to go 'under' leather chaps? We've gone down before and leather saved my hide so leather's a little bit of a security blanket for me. Whatcha think?
Sharon--Yes, they'd be pretty tight, unless you have especially loose leather chaps. But Cordura nylon is what they use to make the non-leather riding jackets and suits.
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